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Nako met his gaze. Held it. Finally, he punched the table, leaving an impressive dent. His knuckles began to bleed immediately.
“To think I actually worried about your clan and hoped you were in one piece after the war ended.”
* * * *
“Training as a crewmember?” Piper gaped at Nako.
“All you have to do is upgrade your flying skills.” They were in their private quarters. Nako finished taping his bleeding knuckles. He’d refused to go to Medical so Zo could treat and close the wounds. “If you have an urge to learn some bridge crew duties, you can. As a last-ditch backup, you understand. It would happen only if I can’t shove your ass onto a shuttle to escape an emergency.”
Piper sank on the lounger next to the stunned Ulof. Terig hadn’t returned with Nako, apparently opting to spend his angst in the ship’s fight room. “This must be serious trouble for Captain Kila to let me remain on board for the mission.”
“Time is of the essence.” Nako regarded his bandaged knuckles, then punched the wall. Made of flex metal, the divot he left smoothed an instant later.
“Please stop. I can’t think when you’re in destruction mode.”
“We can’t get her out of this?” Ulof asked.
“I could send the two of you to Laro Station on a shuttle. The concern is, the Dark vessel is out there somewhere, phased and able to see us. We don’t know what it is or its fighting capabilities. Not a single fucking clue.” Nako leaned against the wall he’d punched, his expression dancing between worry and fury.
They went quiet, each contemplating their individual thoughts. For Piper, it was a look at her life since joining the clan.
Her aim over the years had been to support Ulof as he’d ventured into terraforming. Keeping his optimism and motivation intact had been a full-time occupation. She refused to begrudge him the effort; he’d been worth it. As he’d finally started to find his stride where confidence was concerned, she’d begun casting for something else to expend her time on. Having children had been a sweet dream, but apparently it was on hold.
“You can handle being taught bridge work,” Nako said, his tone milder than it had been since returning from his conference with Captain Kila. “You’ve faced tougher challenges in the past.”
“I had no choice but to do so, if you remember.” Not if she’d wanted to continue looking herself in the eye in the mirror. Saving Kalquor from Bi’is had been an exercise in righting the many wrongs of her history.
“You have a choice now. You can opt for just the shuttle training. Oh, and self-defense fighting abilities, in case it comes to fending off someone controlled by a Dark.” He eyed the wall again, as if contemplating a return to attacking it.
“I can be trained on other skills? Be like a member of the crew?”
“If you want.”
“Then I’ll train to be captain.”
The tension broke in an instant. Nako and Ulof laughed. Piper pretended to be affronted by pouting.
“My love, you already rule me. Do you have to take my ship too?”
She grinned, her indignant act disappearing in an instant. “I wouldn’t mind gaining some skills on how the ship operates. Maybe I can pick up the basics on a variety of positions, so I can fill in for wherever you need me. Oh, can I train to operate a fighter? Ulof, let’s train as fighter pilots and kick ass!”
“Yeah, me and my temper in charge of deadly weaponry. It’s exactly where Nako would want me,” the Imdiko chuckled.
“And exactly where you’d stand the greatest chance of becoming casualties. Don’t even consider it,” Nako warned.
“Okay, then you decide where I’d do the most good.” Piper was surprised to find herself excited by the notion. She probably wouldn’t get the chance to make a difference to their chances of success in a battle, but the idea she could was enough.
Cheerleader. Homemaker. Kick-ass fleet operative.
Nako nodded, pride shining in his face. “After you’ve updated your shuttle flight skills, you’ll learn how to run the com station. You can send secret messages to the kitchen on my behalf to tell Ulof what I’d like for dinner.”
“About that,” Ulof said. “Could you assign me to Hydroponics instead? Given my terraforming work, it would be great if I can study specific plant care. I might even bring something worthwhile to the table when we get to the moon.”
“Lieutenant Olamar would welcome the help,” Nako said after a moment’s pause. “Yeah, I can send you there. Thank you both for stepping up. I realize it’s far from what we planned, but we’ll get back on track as soon as possible.”
Piper wasn’t in any hurry. She had no wish to find the sort of danger that had brought their clan together in the first place, but she could handle a little low-level excitement.
Chapter Nine
